Perceptions of 4th-7th Grade Students Regarding Inclusion in General Physical Education Classes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of general education students towards inclusion-based physical education. Participants in this study were enrolled in two different Southern California public schools: School 1: 102 seventh graders and School 2: 246 4th through 6th graders. A modified version of the Ten Item Children’s Attitude toward Inclusive Physical Education - Revised questionnaire (CAIPE-R) was used to collect student’s responses regarding how receptive they would be to having a student with an orthopedic impediment in their physical education class. The majority of students at both schools responded positively to all ten survey items, indicating they were receptive to including a student with special needs in their general physical education class, as well as allowing for adaptations to the environment to help that student experience success. The results suggest strong student support for PL-92-142 since most of the students demonstrated inclusive attitudes towards having students with physical limitations in their physical education classes. Several of the eleven elementary school classes demonstrated significantly less support for inclusion than the other classes, suggesting the influence of classroom teachers may be an important factor influencing student attitudes towards inclusion.